williams



Patented Oct. 30, 1934 SAMPLE CASE Chaurioeyl'l. Williams, Pelham, N. Y., assignor to F. W. Dodge Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York ,Application August 1', 1933, Serial No. 683,204

5 Claims'.

This invention relates to a sample case or binder, and particularly to such a case or binder which will more or less permanently retain relatively flat samples of architectural materials and 5 whichV may be used in conjunction with a catalogue containing brief descriptions of articles represented by the samples.

One of the most common methods of advertising pursued by manufacturers is the distribulO tion `of catalogues Which contain descriptions and, where possible, illustrations of the articles or products which the manufacturer produces. Ordinarily each manufacturer gets out his own catalogue and sends it to those whom he believes l5 will be interested in purchasing goods of the type he manufactures. Very frequently such catalogues are immediately discarded by the receivers Aas they are` not then in the market for that Aparticular class of goods; if retained, they '20 frequently become mislaid or lost and are not available-When wanted. In either casa-the catalogue fails to serve its intended purpose.

Some years ago an organization in this-country vconceived the idea of havingmanufacturers turn their catalogues over to it, and it classifyingand arranging them in orderly fashion. The idea was put into `effect' with respect to catalogues of manufacturers of articles and products relating to construction and which are of particular interest to architects. Such a compilation of catalogues, together with one general list of manufacturers and an index of `articles and lproducts covering all the various catalogues, bound together-in one or -more volumes was issued annually and known as Sweets Architectural Catalogues. The consolidated catalogues werefloanedto all leading `architects in the country with the understandingthat they would rbe returned at the end of the year or when called for. Each year the catalogues .were either sent in or called in and a new consolidated cat'aloguewas gotten out in which the old catalogues of theindividual manufacturers were replaced by new ones.

kThe 4planoutlined above was found to be not entirely satisfactory 'in that the catalogues of the'various manufacturers'were not of uniform size and some `were poorly gotten up. In order 50 to overcome that diiculty, the `compiler arranged with the manufacturers for it to arrange andpublish .the catalogues for the various manufacturers. 'I'hat proved more satisfactory as the individual catalogues were then ofY uniform size and plan andioriseveral A.years sweets Architectural Catalogues have been gotten out inthat form.

VFrom Sweets Architectural Catalogues" the architect could readily find any article or product advertised therein, for use in drawing up his specifications for buildings. However, as the catalogues could only give a printed description of the product, or such a description and an illustration of the product Where the product was subject to illustration, the architect was still handicapped to the extent that it was impossible for him to see and examine a sample of the product itself. Obviously, from such an examination of a sample of the actual product the architect could get a much better idea of what it was and whether it would best answer the purpose for which it was desired. Furthermore, seeing a sample of the article itself would also suggest to the architect uses to which it might be put in addition to that for which it was specically designed.

While many architectural materials are of such size and/or nature that it is not practical to distribute samples of them to architects, many products used in the construction of buildings are in iiat form and samples of them can be readily and practically distributed. Such iiat materials include floor coverings, wall coverings, wall papers, ceilings, insulation sheets, screening, metal lathing, glass, roofing materials, and many other materials of a similar nature.

This invention relates to a case or binder for such flat samples in which the samples are indexed and suitably held in their proper position so that they cannot readily be removed with the attendant danger of them being mislaid or lost, or of being put back in the Wrong place. Such a case or .binder of `samples is adapted to supplement and be used in conjunction with Sweets Architectural Catalogues. When a sample case or binder, such as the one forming the subject matter of the present invention, is used to supplement Sweets Architectural Catalogues the general index of the articles and of the catalogues will indicate by a suitable notation whether or not a sample of the article or product advertised is contained in the case or binder and if it is the proper place at which it can be located. The architect is then enabled to supplement the brief description of the article or product by an examination of a sample thereof, and can 4thereby determine much more readily whether or not that particular product is satisfactory for its intended use, and can also any purpose Whatever.

I claim:

1. A sample case comprising a backing member having a bottom, a side, and a hinged top, a member having a bottom and a pair of upstanding sidewalls on opposite sides thereof, the bottoms of said members being permanently secured together, and a. sample-retaining rod mounted in said side Walls.

2. A, sample case comprising a backing member having a bottom, a side, and a. hinged top, a member having a bottom and a pair of upstanding side Walls on opposite sides thereof, the bottoms of said members being permanently secured together, a sample-retaining rod mounted in said side walls and means for detachably fastening the top of the backing member to one of the side walls of the second mentioned member.

3. A sample case comprising a backing member having a bottom, a side, and a hinged top, a member having a bottom and a pair of upstanding side walls on opposite sides thereof, the bottom of said members being secured together so that one of the upstanding side Walls becomes an inner 'one and the other an outer one,ra pair of sample-retaining rods mounted in said side walls, and a hook mounted on the outer edge portion of the top of the case for engaging in an opening in the outer side Wall of the second mentioned member for fastening said top to said side Wall.

4. A sample case comprising a relatively stiif sheet metal backing member having a bottom, a side, and a hinged top, a member having a bottom and a pair of upstanding side Walls on opposite sides thereof, the bottom of said members being secured together so that one of the upstanding side walls becomes an inner one and the other an outer one, a pair of sample-retaining rods mounted in said side walls, and a hook mounted on the outer edge portion of the top of the case for engaging in an opening in the outer side wall of the second mentioned member for fastening said top to said side wall, said outer side being sufficiently resilient at the region where the hole is located to yield under pressure to permit said hook to be received in said opening and to spring back when the pressure is relieved to retain the hook within the opening.

5. A sample case comprising a backing member having a bottom, a side, and a hinged top, a member having a bottom and a pair of upstanding side Walls on opposite sides thereof, the bottoms of said members being permanently secured together, a rod mounted in said side Walls, a plurality of samples strung on said rod and adapted to be swung thereabout, spacing members located between adjacent samples and division plates located between groups of the samples and having indicia-bearing portions which extend above the samples.

CHAUNCEY L. WILLIAMS.

Oct. 30, 1934.

c. l.. WILLIAMS SAMPLE BI NDER Filed Aug. l, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l 

